Hiring in a Candidate Driven Market

If you are hiring or thinking about hiring, inevitably you’ve been encountered some distinct changes brought on by the current candidate-driven market. At Stott and May, we work with organizations all of the world from startups to household names. No matter who you are, how big you are, or how popular you are – the pattern is clear. Companies are competing with each other for top talent and the hiring managers who have embraced this truth are winning.

In another time, you could assume that if a candidate was interviewing for a job they would likely accept if offered the position. Thus, the “Tell me why we should hire you,” model prevailed as candidates furiously recounted skills, experience, intangibles, and metrics to convince someone they were worth hiring. Today, this approach alone is apt to leave you with an open position.

Here are the facts:
1. Candidates will be interviewing with multiple companies.
2. Candidates will receive multiple offers.

In order to successfully manage the climate created by the lowest unemployment rate in years, your hiring strategy needs to be as succinct as possible and include a strong persuasive component.

Within the two weeks between a candidate’s first and second interview at your company, they’re going to go on several other interviews. The solution? Don’t wait two weeks. If you’re not the company who is ready to make a decision, someone else will be. In addition to consolidating your personality inventories and interviews with various key players, make sure your hiring managers are providing feedback to the candidate with timelines and reasonable expectations. Several days of radio silence can turn an in-demand candidate cold.

Let’s assume a candidate is interviewing with three different companies during the same time frame. If you are still solely implementing the “Tell me why I should hire you” model, you are behind the curve. When you’re interviewing candidates, sell your company to them: Why did you join the company? What kind of perks do you have? What is the culture like? What is the five year trajectory for the candidate? What differentiates you from your competitors where the candidate is probably also interviewing? After all, even if the candidate isn’t a good fit for you or they decline your offer, they will tell their peers what an admirable company you are and what a – dare I say it – enjoyable hiring process you have.

Lastly, make your candidates feel special. People want to work for companies whose teams they get along with; whose benefits make them feel taken care of; and where they feel wanted. Smaller companies that make a candidate feel warm and fuzzy can and do beat out behemoths with name-recognition all the time.

In Greenville and beyond, the pool of available talent is small and in order to hire the best employees, you have to move quickly and stealthily. Otherwise, you’ll just be running with the middle of the pack.

Hannah Barfield Spellmeyer is an Executive Recruiter for Stott and May, an international technology-focused recruiting firm. Hannah serves on the Board of Directors for The Family Effect and The Upcountry History Museum as well as edits the Junior League of Greenville's biannual magazine, VISIONS. She's is a proud member of Leadership Greenville, Class 43 and was named one of Greenville’s Best and Brightest Under 35 in 2015. For more blogs and information, visit www.linkedin.com/in/hannahbarfieldspellmeyer.